Fear and Courage
by Axelai
Summary: Chase Young decides to start hunting wu, and ends up getting the Xiaolin a new warrior. Raimundo is trying his best to be the leader, but his fears may not turn everything well...
1. Ornament of Order

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Welcome to my first submitted Xiaolin Showdown fanfiction! I have a lot of these, and most of mine have original characters. Sorry about that. This was actually based on my dream last night, and that dream really stuck, so i'm putting it all up here. I hope you enjoy the story!_  
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_All she could do was run. She just ran and ran and ran as fast as her feet could possibly carry her. The ground beneath her seemed to feel harder and harder as she ran, due to how tired she was becoming. The faint sound of swooshing in the distance is what forced her to carry on._

_"You can't run forever, child." A voice rang in the distance. It boomed with the deepness of the sound, and the girl just tried to quicken her pace. No, she couldn't run forever. She must continue on though, until she got as far as she could._

_She clutched at the pendent around her neck. It glistened in the darkness, so she tucked it away beneath her shirt. Her cropped black hair began to sway in the wind that picked up. She squinted her blue eyes as she was forced to stop. There in the distance ran our people, about her own age, and they held mysterious items in their hands. A boy leapt right above her and into the air, with the agility of a cheetah. She watched him raise a sword as he glided past her. She watched him for a moment, before her own fatigue came up to haunt her._

"Hey, hey…" a voice said. The girl opened her eyes slowly. She saw she was sitting on a mat in someone's room, it seemed. The four teens were sitting around her. A blonde boy with a cowboy hat was leaning near her the most, and it seemed it was his voice that woke her. The sunlight came in through the window, signifying it was the next morning.

"Nnn… where…" The girl began to say, but the blonde boy just shooshed her.

"You're here at the temple, partner." The blonde boy said.

The girl looked up at the other people, and she sat up from where she lay. There was the blonde boy with a cowboy hat closest to her. A little farther away was a Japanese girl with her hair in pigtails, with pretty blue eyes. Next was a small boy with no hair at all, and beady black eyes. He seemed much shorter than the rest of them. And finally, there was the brunette boy leaning up against a wall, peering down at her with his emerald colored eyes. All four of them were wearing red robes, sort of like karate outfits.

"Temple…?" The girl asked, rubbing her forehead a little. There was a bandage there, and she soon realized there was a bandage wrapped around her entire head.

"Yep." The blonde replied.

"Who…" The girl began to be very confused. She was running in a forest. How did she reach a temple…? And who were these people?

"I'm Clay." The blonde boy said. "This is Kimiko," he pointed to the Asian girl, "Omi," he pointed to the bald kid, who waved stupidly, "and Raimundo." He put his arm in a motion to the brunette boy.

"I'm Rachelle." She said, feeling a little more comfortable when knowing their names.

"Well, howdy Rachelle." Clay said, tipping his hat a little bit. "Now, what were you doing being followed by Chase Young?"

"You mean… that guy with the dark hair?" Rachelle asked, trying to recollect what happened the night before.

"Yeah." Kimiko replied, feeling slightly left out of the conversation.

"He was following you very close…" Omi pitched in. "If we hadn't came, you might have been fresh cabbage."

"You mean dead meat, Omi." Kimiko said.

"That too!" Omi answered back. Kimiko just shook her head.

"Well…um…" Rachelle stuttered. Her hand clutched the pendant on her neck. Should she trust these people? Yes… they saved her life. She pulled the pendant out of her shirt. It was a bright blue ruby on a golden plate that was shaped slightly like a heart.

"What… a shen gong wu?" Kimiko said. She looked slightly amazed. "Where did you get that?"

"I've always had it." Rachelle replied, gaining a little more courage. "I've kept it for as long as I can remember. It started glowing last night, and…"

"Oh, I see." Clay said. "You see, it activated last night. Chase had just beat us to it." He directed this at Kimiko.

"I see." Kimiko replied. "Well, Rachelle, that's something we really need. Can we have it?"

"Why?" Rachelle said worriedly, clutching it in her hand. The chain was still around her neck.

"Well, that's the Ornament of Order. It's a shen gong wu that has a most powerful…power!" Omi said. "And we need it very much."

"Yeah, please?" Clay asked, putting on a sweet face.

Rachelle clutched it tighter. It was the only thing she really owned. After all, she had come from an orphanage when her parents died ten years ago. That was all she had.

"Oh, let her keep it." Raimundo said in his thick Brazilian accent. Rachelle perked up.

"What?" Omi said with slight anger in his voice.

"Hey, I'M the leader. I choose who keeps what!" Raimundo snapped at him. He crossed his arms.

"…fine, leader." Omi pouted.

Rachelle smiled slightly. "Thank you…"

"But if Chase finds out she has it… won't he follow her again and take it back?" Clay said.

"Well, then we'll have to keep her safe then, won't we?" Raimundo replied back. "Where do you live?"

Rachelle, realizing his second phrase addressed her, said, "I don't live anywhere. I escaped from the orphanage last night…"

"Then don't you have to go back?" Kimiko said. "I bet they're worried about you."

"Well…" Rachelle began.

"She can't go back there." Raimundo said. "If she does, Chase can find her and take the ornament. It's best she stays here until we find out something better to do."

At that moment, Master Fung walked into the room. "That's a very mature decision, Raimundo." He said. "But you must remember that Rachelle belongs in her own home. So how does that come into your plan?"

"Well…" Raimundo frowned. "I don't know. Can't you adopt her or something?"

Master Fung raised an eyebrow. "Such kindness to a stranger."

Raimundo blushed slightly. "Well… you always say your crazy phrases a lot. This is one of my own. Be nice to everyone, right?"

Master Fung smiled. "Precisely." He turned and left the room. As he left, he said, "I'll go get the paperwork."

Rachelle blinked, slightly astonished at the situation. What, they were adopting her? No one ever adopts anyone over the age of twelve. And she was seventeen. In just a few months, she would have been let out and on her own.

"Alright. That settles it." Kimiko said with a smile. "You're one of us now. If that's okay with you…"

"Ye-yeah…" Rachelle said, having been quiet the whole time. She wasn't one for making decisions on her own.

"Well, great then!" Clay said with a smile. "It's about time we got another girl!"

Omi smiled a little. "Oh yes… that is most wonderful!"

Raimundo had an eye on Rachelle as he leaned up there against the wall. He stared down at her, thinking to himself if he had made the right choice or not. After all, they didn't know her. What if this were a trick Chase had put up to her to steal all the wu?

Rachelle smiled sheepishly at him. "Thank you, Raimundo." She said quietly, just loud enough for him to hear her.

"Yeah, whatever." He turned and walked out of the room. Something in his mind told him she was on their side.

Rachelle was sitting alone in Kimiko's room, which was the room she had slept in that night before. The warriors had left the room several minutes before, following Raimundo out. Kimiko had stayed just to tell her about what's going on. Rachelle was thinking over in her mind what really was going on.

Those four teens were the Xiaolin Dragons. They basically dedicated their life to finding all these Shen gong wu, preventing them from being taken by the enemies. Chase Young is one of the enemies, on the Heylin side. He had never really cared much for shen gong wu before, but he soon realized their potential, and now wants them for his own. There's also Jack Spicer and Wuya, both of which want the Shen gong wu too.

Rachelle's pendant is the Ornament of Order. It had the power to order anyone to do anything, and they'll have to. Well, it can only order people to do what is possible. It can't say something like fly, when they can't physically do that. But it's basically mind control.

And now, Rachelle was going to be a sort of sidekick to them. She may not have had any training, but they were convinced she could become a warrior like them. She doesn't have the power over elements like they do, but if she uses Shen gong wu on her side, then she may be able to become powerful enough to help them out.

She stood up and walked out of the room. She felt the wind on her body now that she wasn't covered in a blanket, and she soon realized her clothing was tattered from all her constant falls the night before. Her black jacket was torn on the sleeve, her gray t-shirt was torn near the bottom, and her black jeans were ripped apart at the knees. She didn't mind. It gave her that punk feeling to look like that. She stepped out of the hallway and into the sunlight. She there saw Raimundo leaning up against a wall again. She walked up to him.

"Hey… thank you so much…" She said timidly. She wasn't very good at talking to people she didn't know very well.

"Don't mention it." Raimundo grunted. He looked over at her. "It probably wasn't the best idea to have you stay here. But you know, it might be better with you here…" he said, more to himself than her. Rachelle looked at him with slight confusion.

"I'm… sorry if I really shouldn't be here…" Rachelle said timidly again.

Raimundo frowned at her slightly. "No, no. It's okay. You're better off here than in an orphanage. I can't imagine what it's like…"

Rachelle smiled at him a little. "Well, where are you from?"

Raimundo grinned at her. "Beautiful Rio de Janeiro. Brazil. I used to be in the circus with my family."

"Oh… that seems like it must have been a lot of fun." Rachelle said with a bigger smile.

"Yeah. I have the world's biggest family, so it's kind of nice to be here at the temple. Quieter, no doubt." He said. "But you know… another member of the warriors will probably be for the best here."

Rachelle didn't get what he was meaning again, because he was once again talking more to himself.

"And you know…" Raimundo grinned stupidly. "Another member means less chores for me!" He laughed and walked off.

Rachelle frowned. So that's why he had her join them. She was going to do some of the chores, and he would have less now. Some kindness THAT was. She angrily stomped over to the main building. She knew there must be a kitchen in there, and she was getting hungry. It seemed that's where Raimundo had just headed off, because all the Dragons were in there.

"Hey, Omi wasn't kiddin." A voice said. Rachelle looked in the direction it came. A small green dragon walked up to her. "Hey, I'm Dojo." It said. "I'm the dragon guardian of the temple."

Rachelle smiled down at him. "Hello. I'm Rachelle."

"Nice to meet you, Rachelle!" Dojo said happily.

Omi rushed up to Rachelle. "Oh yes, we are very glad to have you here! I made you eggs for breakfast! Please sit with us!" Omi said in a hurry. Rachelle giggled at him.

She sat down at the table in between Clay and the end of the table. She ate the eggs Omi made her, muttering a thank you. Omi was beaming at her, and then he sat down across from her to eat his own eggs.

Kimiko looked over at Rachelle. "So, tell us, what do you like to do normally?"

Rachelle looked down a little. "Um… I like to play video games… or do card tricks…"

Raimundo perked up slightly. "I know plenty of card tricks."

Kimiko looked over at him, then back at Rachelle. "Yeah. Rai is pretty good at that stuff. And I have lots of video games we can play together."

Rachelle smiled. "That would be great."

Dojo suddenly started spazzing out. "Whoaaa… you won't be able to anytime soon! I've got Shen gong wu chills!"

Clay leapt down as Dojo unraveled the scroll. "It's the Kimori Sword. It gives the user the power to hang upside down like a bat, and also fight well in the darkness."

"Well, let's grab some wu and go get it!" Kimiko said, leaping up. Rachelle watched them run out the door. Raimundo stopped at the door though.

"Come on, Rachelle." He said, and she followed him. He ran along side her to the wu vault. "Take the Thorn of Thunderbolt." Raimundo grabbed it from the vault and handed it to her. He grabbed the Sword of the Storm and headed back up to where the other warriors were waiting. Dojo had stretched to an enormous size, about ten times the size of a bus. Everyone leapt onto his back.

Rachelle jumped on. Omi was in front, then Kimiko, then Clay, then Raimundo. Rachelle got on behind Raimundo. He looked back at her with a smile. "Remember to hold on tightly." He said with a smile. Rachelle just gulped. It was hard to believe twenty-four hours ago, she was sitting in an orphanage. Now she was sitting on a dragon.

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Okay, that's it for chapter one! I hope you enjoyed it. Chapter two will be up soon. The story might be a little bland, but it'll get interesting enough in a few chapters.

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	2. First Showdown

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Welcome to chapter 2! I told you it wouldn't be long before i posted another chapter. :P

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The wind rushed in Rachelle's face as Dojo flew high into the sky. The settings changed beneath them until they were above a small town that looked like it was in a valley. Rachelle covered her eyes a little as she saw the ground coming closer. She squeaked a little, clutching Raimundo in front of her. He stiffened a little, not expecting that, and Dojo landed on the ground. By now, Rachelle had a death grip on him.

The warriors jumped of Dojo, except Rachelle and Raimundo. Rachelle was breathing heavily, clinging onto him. Raimundo rolled his eyes and waited for her to calm down. When she did, and her grip loosened, he jumped off Dojo and helped Rachelle down.

"Don't worry." Raimundo said with a smile. "We do that every day. You'll get used to it."

Rachelle paled a little more at the thought of doing that again. "So… where's the sword?"

Dojo had shrunk down to a small dragon again, and he climbed up onto her shoulder. "It's somewhere around here. Just look around."

Everyone walked separate directions around the town. Rachelle clutched her pendant, and Dojo was pointed on her shoulder like a watchdog. "I think it's close." Dojo said. He sniffed the air.

"Well, how close?" Rachelle asked.

"VERY. My nose itches." Dojo replied. He looked around. "There!"

Rachelle looked at where he pointed. On top of the building glistened a sword with a dark handle. Rachelle ran to the gutter pouring down from the side of the building. She grabbed the edges and climbed up the pipe, until she was at the top of the building. There she grabbed the sword.

"Not so fast, child." A voice said. It was familiar and chilled Rachelle to the bone. Then she saw a hand appear on the sword and it began to glow.

Chase Young stood next to her. "I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown." He said in his deep voice. Rachelle paled again.

"My Star of Hanabi against your Ornament of Order." He continued. "Agreed?"

"No." Rachelle said. "Your Star of Hanabi against my Thorn of Thunderbolt." She didn't plan on losing her necklace if she lost.

"Alright. Agreed." Chase said.

Rachelle was glad Kimiko had explained these showdowns, too. "Okay, let's make the game… a dance off. You must copy my moves, then I yours." She said, trying to think of something Chase might not be capable of.

"Sure. Gong yi tempai." Chase said.

Like in all showdowns, the surroundings changed. The building rose up, then split into two pillars beneath their feet. They were each standing slightly farther then they started, and each on a two-foot square pole. The Xiaolin Warriors watched as they appeared on top of a building near them.

"Oh no!" Kimiko said. "Rachelle got into a showdown with Chase!"

Omi leapt up and shouted, "GO RACHELLE!!!"

Raimundo and Clay sat quietly to watch.

There was a loud dinging noise, and Rachelle smiled. "My start." She leaned back and flipped on the pole, then stood up. Chase copied it perfectly. Then he did a turn in the air. Rachelle did her first move, then his move, then added another. They continued adding more moves for several minutes. The first to mess up wins.

After about twenty moves total, Rachelle grew tired. Chase noticed this, and made a summersault his next move. Rachelle barely did it all, and she was sweating tiredly. She couldn't keep it up much longer. Chase looked perfectly in tune with what he was doing. But he stopped, smiled, and said, "I give up."

There was a flash of light as Rachelle said, "huh…?" The surroundings were back to normal. Chase handed over his Star of Hanabi, and then he jumped back over the building and disappeared. The Xiaolin Dragons ran over to Rachelle.

"You won!" Kimiko said with a smile.

"Yeah… but he gave in." Rachelle said. She picked up the sword off the ground.

"So what? You still won!" Kimiko replied.

"I wonder why he gave in…" Rachelle said, confused.

Kimiko shrugged. Clay and Omi beamed at Rachelle, while Raimundo frowned slightly. "Well, good job." He said, crossing his arms.

"Ah, someone's jealous!" Kimiko said, poking Raimundo in the side.

"No!" Rai snapped. "Why would I be jealous?"

"You just wanted to find the sword first." Kimiko answered. Rachelle watched as they bickered back and forth. She smiled a little, and then thought they might be going out.

"Hey… are you two…together?" Rachelle asked, blinking.

"WHAT?" Kimiko shouted. "Of course not!"

"Yeah, like I'd date HER." Raimundo snapped back. Suddenly, they were bickering again, completely forgetting Rachelle's existence. Okay, so they weren't together.

"Come on, you guys. We should head home." Dojo said. Everyone jumped onto his back, this time Raimundo and Kimiko stopped fighting. Rachelle sat behind Raimundo again.

"Do…do you mind if I hold onto you? This is kind of scary to me." Rachelle said.

Raimundo blushed. "I don't mind."

Rachelle sat closer to him and held on. He smiled a little to himself. Wow, a girl was hugging him from behind.

They reached the temple very soon. Once again, as they landed, Rachelle was hyperventilating and had a death grip on Rai. He just waiting again for her to calm down, then he helped her off of Dojo.

Master Fung walked up to them as Dojo turned back into a small dragon. "How did it go?"

"Rachelle won a showdown against Chase Young." Omi said with a huge grin.

"Oh. Very good, Rachelle." Master Fung said.

"Oh um… thank you. But really, Chase-" Rachelle started, but Raimundo cut her off.

"Yeah, she beat him so badly that he's probably at home crying." Raimundo said with a grin. He turned and winked at Rachelle. She got quiet.

Master Fung nodded. "Well, for that, no chores for the rest of the day. It's already 6pm, so have dinner and go to bed."

Everyone groaned. They hated the fact Master Fung always made them go to bed so early. They all put the wu back in the vaults, and then went to make dinner.

As they ate quietly, Rai waited until Master Fung was out of hearing distance. He then whispered, "Hey, you guys, want to come to my room tonight and play some Goo Zombies on my PS3?"

Kimiko and Rachelle nodded. Clay shook his head along with Omi. "No, I'm gonna get some shut-eye." Clay said.

"And I too!" Omi exclaimed, yet still in a whisper.

"Okay, girlies…" Raimundo said with a seductive grin. "Just us three."

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Ooohhhh... Raimundo you bad boy. XD You know i'm joking. They're actually gonna play goo zombies. This chapter was half the size of the first chapter, but everyone knows the first chapter is the longest. The next chapter will be longer, though, i promise!

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	3. Family

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Okay, this is a little longer than chapter two. :D Enjoy, it's actually getting somewhere plot-wise. I have it all planned out, don't worry. This dream was pretty dang long, and i'm only about one fourth of the way through the story.

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That night, Rachelle and Kimiko (who were now sharing a room) snuck into Raimundo's room. Quietly, they sat next to him as he powered up his PS3. "Alright, sound is off. Make sure Master Fung doesn't hear us." Raimundo whispered. It was obvious none of them were tired. After all, it wasn't even nine o'clock yet.

The three of them played Goo Zombies on the PS3 for a long time. Kimiko and Raimundo switched off (it was a two player game, not three player) to allow Rachelle to play. As the night grew deeper, Kimiko soon became really tired. "I'm gonna go to bed." She said, and she got up and left before they could say good night.

Rachelle and Raimundo looked at each other for a moment. Then they continued playing. Eventually, they beat the game. Rachelle looked at the clock. It was nearly midnight.

"Hey, Raimundo, can I stay here for a little?" She asked, probably the boldest thing she ever said.

"Sure." Raimundo replied. Rachelle sat cross-legged in front of him.

"Um… can you tell me about your family…?" Rachelle asked. She missed her own family so much, and the thought of Raimundo's made her feel better.

"Okay…" Raimundo said. He proceeded to explain about his family.

_I was born in a circus, and was there my entire life. My family was basically the weirdest out there. They were trapeze artists, and I was the heir of it. It wasn't really something I was proud to inherit. I have eight siblings, three sisters and five brothers. Two of my sisters are younger than me. I'm seventeen, so they're thirteen and nine now. Anyways, we were all trapeze people, switching off on different shows. We were on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, and every holiday we'd visit my aunt in the heart of the city. My family is so freakishly large that we barely fit in there. But we're all rich enough to afford presents for everyone at Christmas and Chinese New Years._

_About a year and a half ago, I was sent here for Xiaolin training. Since then, I've been a part of this._

Raimundo nodded as he finished. "That's about it. My life wasn't too interesting."

"It must have been great to have such a big family…" Rachelle said timidly.

"Nah. You didn't miss anything by now having one." Raimundo said, trying to make her feel better.

They were silent for a moment, until Rachelle said, "Rai… what happened after I passed out?"

Raimundo looked over at her. "We fought off Chase and brought you here."

"…that's all?"

"Yeah." Raimundo scratched his head. "I was surprised at how light you were, considering how tired I was."

Rachelle blushed. "You carried me?"

"Yeah…" Raimundo said. "How else could we have brought you to the temple?"

Rachelle blushed at the idea of him carrying her all the way to the temple. She had passed out quite a ways away from the temple.

"…thank you." She said again.

"Oh, stop thanking me already." Raimundo said. "It's all right."

Rachelle's heart sped up. Her mind went back to when he had saved her. She saw him leap into the air…

He looked at Rachelle, obviously daydreaming. "Oh, and just an f-y-i…" he said, giving her a noogie. "Kimiko's a sister to me. In every way. Hate her and love her." He smiled at Rachelle.

Rachelle blushed a bright red. "O-oh…" he attempted to fix her hair once he removed his hand.

"Yeah, so don't get any ideas about us." Raimundo replied.

"Hey… um… Raimundo?" Rachelle said, inching a little closer to him.

"Yeah?" he said, perking up a little.

"You were pretty cool when you saved me… thanks." Rachelle said, looking at him. Her blue eyes glistened in the dim light.

Raimundo blushed, his heartbeat going a little faster. "T-thanks…" He stuttered. A million thoughts rushed into his head at once.

Rachelle got up to go to bed. She leaned over and kissed Raimundo on the cheek, then ran out of the room.

Raimundo was frozen in place. What was that? Usually, the instant he saw a girl while on a journey, he'd immediately start showing off and flirting. But for some reason… I just couldn't to her. She was different. He felt like he didn't have to. It was like she wasn't just another pretty girl… his mind already knew that. Every time he saw her, his heart would speed up. He was actually nervous around someone for the first time in his life…

Rachelle rushed and leapt into bed, almost waking Kimiko up. She snuggled down in her makeshift bed. She just kissed Raimundo on the cheek. "Darn it. I hate it when I get crushes on guys…" she thought.

The next morning, she and Raimundo both woke up late. Mindlessly, Rachelle trudged into the kitchen. Kimiko and Omi were cleaning up, and Clay was having seconds. Rachelle sat at the table where Omi had made her eggs.

"I made eggs again for you Rachelle!" Omi said with a silly smile.

"Thanks Omi…" Rachelle mumbled.

"Why are you so tired?" Clay asked, eating a steak with an egg on the top.

"I was up all night with Rai…" She said.

Kimiko and Clay choked a little. "Doing what?" They asked in unison.

Rachelle, not quite understanding why they had choked, replied, "We played Goo Zombies… then chatted for a few minutes…" she mumbled. Clay and Kimiko let out a sigh of relief. So Raimundo wasn't as much of a horn-ball as they thought.

Raimundo then walked into the room, completely tired out. He normally wasn't a morning person, and now he was even less of a morning person. He sat next to Rachelle and poured some cereal. Clay and Kimiko watched them intently, not believing their eyes. Both their minds were wandering to the worst.

Omi, completely innocent, said, "Hello Raimundo! What were YOU doing last night?"

Raimundo grumbled, "Goo Zombies… then a bit of chatting… then sleeping…" he said. Kimiko and Clay once again sighed in relief. They both had the same story. Okay, they didn't do anything disgusting.

Dojo slithered into the room. "Hello, happy warriors!" he said with a sickening grin. "Guess what day it is?"

"December tenth?" Kimiko answered.

"EXACTLY." Dojo replied.

"What's that mean?" Omi asked.

"It means Christmas is almost here." Dojo replied. "And this year, Master Fung decided you can all go home to your families for the holidays."

"What? Really?" Kimiko asked, excited.

"Yep." Dojo said with a nod. "You can leave on the twelfth and be back on January first."

"That's great!" Clay said. "I've been missing my ma and pa!"

"I do not have a family to return to…" Omi said. Rachelle perked up a little, it being the first time she heard of Omi being an orphan too.

"Don't worry, Omi." Dojo said. "You can stay here with Master Fung and me. We're gonna decorate this place up and it'll be a party!"

Omi smiled. "And what of Rachelle?"

Rachelle blinked, having been quiet the whole time. Dojo replied, "She can stay here, or if it's okay with you guys, go home with one of you for the holidays."

"She can stay with me." Kimiko replied. "I usually have friends over for Christmas anyways. You know, they always want the latest video games…"

"Yeah, Rachelle, you should stay with Kimiko." Clay said. Raimundo looked at them, and didn't say anything.

"I'll… see about it." Rachelle said. She wasn't tired anymore, but she acted so to avoid any questions.

Raimundo got up from the table and went outside. Kimiko smiled at Rachelle and pulled her cell phone out. She walked out the door and began to chat on the phone. Clay smiled at Rachelle, then began to do the dishes. Omi bounced right up to Rachelle. "If you do not want to stay with Kimiko, feel free to stay here with us! I am most certain it would be very fun!"

"Yeah… maybe, Omi." Rachelle replied. She got up from the table. "Thanks for the eggs." She then bounded out the door and after Raimundo.

"Hey Rachelle." Kimiko said. "My dad says it's okay if you want to come over for Christmas."

"Okay… but I think…" Rachelle started. She paused. Kimiko looked at her with a worried expression. Rachelle then said, "Nevermind." She looked around. She was sure she saw Raimundo come out here, but she couldn't see him anywhere. He was sure good at disappearing…

Rachelle was washing the floors in the hallways. She scrubbed it with concentration, trying to avoid her own thoughts. Raimundo hadn't said a word to her since the night before. Did she freak him out by kissing him? She didn't mean to…

There was the sound off footsteps behind her. Rachelle jumped up and turned around. She didn't see anyone. The footsteps ceased. She stared off to where the sound came from, then leaned down to continue cleaning. Then she felt a sharp pain and everything went black.

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OH MY GOD PLOT. Yeah, it gets pretty cool in the next chapter. Let's just say it goes from Rachelle's story to Raimundo's. Well, that's because Raimundo and Rachelle are in different places, and it wouldn't make much sense to only tell Rachelle's part. So enjoy the next chpater when it comes! It might actually be really really long!

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	4. Second Showdown

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Ahahahaha, just barely longer than chapter three. It seemed so much longer when i was writing it... well, the plot is pretty much all in this chapter. I eddited my dream and stuff to make sense this time. I hope it's easier to understand.

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Rachelle groaned as she woke up. She attempted to rub her head, for there was a throbbing pain, but she was tied up. She opened her eyes with a start. She was tied up in ropes, sitting next to a tied up Kimiko, Clay, and Omi. Dojo was sitting against the door. Where were they…? Oh… tied up in the main hallway.

"What's going on, Dojo?" Rachelle asked.

"Chase got a hold of your Ornament of Order." Dojo replied. "And he ordered ME to make sure you stay in here. I can't do anything about it, guys. You have to stay in here until the spell wears off…" Rachelle freaked out slightly, realizing her pendant was gone. But she calmed down after a few seconds, realizing there was nothing she could do about it. She then looked around the room, realizing someone was missing.

Rachelle frowned at him. "Where's Raimundo?"

Kimiko did her best to shrug. "I have no idea. He wasn't anywhere in sight when Chase came."

"I reckon he's hiding." Clay replied, looking at his hat a few feet away from himself. "Hey, Dojo, can you put the hat on my head?"

Dojo rolled his eyes and put it on Clay's head.

"Dojo, why don't you untie us?" Kimiko asked sweetly.

"Sorry Kimiko. Chase ordered me not to do that either. I may still have my own thoughts, but my free will is gone." Dojo replied. "If I could, I would."

Kimiko let out a sigh. Omi looked down at the floor, depressed. "I wonder what Chase Young is down to…"

"You mean 'up to' Omi." Kimiko corrected.

"That too." Omi replied, less enthusiastic than usual.

"I guess he'll steal our Shen gong wu… then leave us here until the Ornament of Order wears off." Kimiko replied. "Unless Raimundo can stop him…"

"Which I don't think he can." Omi answered.

"Well, why not?" Rachelle asked in a worried tone.

"Because Raimundo tends to get a little full of himself in a showdown." Kimiko replied. "He could win, but he usually gets too proud before he even gets that far."

Rachelle paused for a moment, then added, "Well… he might not get cocky if there's no one watching. And if he knows what's at stake, maybe he'll try harder."

"Maybe, but don't bet your pennies on it." Clay said. "He's like a daydreaming cow at a county fair."

Rachelle sat there for a moment and tried to translate that phrase. "Well… I believe in him."

"At least one of us does." Kimiko said, rolling her eyes again.

Raimundo was sitting up in the tree, avoiding all the work he was supposed to do. He was listening lazily to his iPod for several minutes. But after awhile, he realized the place was eerily quiet. He leapt down from the tree to check it out. He stopped into their rooms, but no one was there. He checked the hallways, and still no one was there. But then he heard a rustling noise coming from the vault. He then went down to the wu vault and saw Chase bagging it all.

"Chase Young!" he shouted. He ran up to the dragon-man.

"Yes…?" Chase asked. He raised an eyebrow at Raimundo.

"Hands off the merchandise!" Raimundo shouted, yanking the Sword of the Storm out of nowhere.

"Uh huh… like I'm going to listen." Chase said. He pulled out the Ornament of Order. "Ornament of-"

"SWORD OF THE STORM!" Raimundo shouted, cutting him off and swinging his sword. The Ornament flew out of Chase's hand and fell onto the floor. Raimundo ran after it, and Chase did too. They both touched it at the same time.

"Great. My turn for a showdown." Raimundo said with a smile. "My Sword of the Storm for your…" Raimundo's voice trailed off.

"My Star of Hanabi." Chase said, holding it back up.

"…That's all you took?" Raimundo asked.

"I like this wu…" Chase replied with his dragon-like grin. "And it's all I planned to take. Besides the Ornament, anyways…"

"Well, you're not getting either!" Raimundo snapped. "The showdown is Goo Zombies! First to get to the end of the obstacle course of zombies wins! And NO flying!"

"Okay, I accept." Chase said. He bowed honorably at Rai.

**"Gong yi tempai!"**

The area changed dramatically again. The wu vault rose into the air, and the pathways outside rose into the air. They connected to the top of the vault and ended together, the Ornament landing at the end of the paths. Suddenly, Goo Zombies appeared on the path.

As quick as his feet could take him, Raimundo ran down the right path. Chase began to stride down the left. Raimundo really didn't want to lose this time. He used his Sword of the Storm to knock the zombies off the path. Chase acted nonchalantly and used his Star of Hanabi to blast the zombies into oblivion.

Raimundo was getting tired as his arms continually sliced with the sword, knocking the zombies out of the way with gusts of air. But he didn't want to lose. He ran as fast as he could, until he felt like he could pass out at any moment. He breathed heavily as he dashed down the brick pathway.

Chase wasn't far behind him. He was running with a great speed, and didn't look tired at all. "You won't win, Raimundo." Chase's voice boomed loudly in the area.

"Oh yeah? I bet I could, lizard boy." Raimundo said. He was about to stop and taunt Chase when he heard a voice in his mind. He shook his head and continued running.

Chase was astonished. He knew for sure that Raimundo would stop and taunt him. But he didn't. Raimundo took a leap into the air and grabbed the Ornament. Before he could land on the ground, the surroundings went back to normal.

Chase stood quiet for a long moment, letting the fact he lost soak in. "You won, Raimundo." Chase said. "But I will be back." Chase bowed, then walked out of the temple grounds through the front gate.

Raimundo leapt into the air and shouted, "Whoooooooo!" He was happy won another showdown. But he couldn't gloat long. He needed to find the others. So he ran off in search of them.

"It's been almost an hour…" Kimiko said, sighing. "I bet he lost, and he's under a spell and doing bad things for Chase…"

"Not quite." A voice said. Raimundo opened the door, knocking Dojo over. "Dojo, you can stop patrolling now."

Dojo blinked. "Hey, whaddaya know?" He ran over to Omi and began to untie him.

"But…" Kimiko blinked, a worried expression on her face. Raimundo sat down to untie her.

"I just won our wu back." Raimundo said. He then proceeded to untie Rachelle.

"And this… is for you." He said, pulling the ornament from his pocket and putting it around Rachelle's neck. Rachelle smiled.

"Alrighty then. Am I a good leader or what?" Raimundo said with a stupid smile.

"Yes, a most good leader." Omi said with a silly smile. "I am sure you used no cheating to defeat Chase."

"I didn't cheat." Raimundo said, frowning at Omi.

"Yes, that is what I said!" Omi replied back.

Raimundo then remembered Omi wasn't capable of sarcasm. "Thanks little dude."

Rachelle got up and brushed the dust off her clothes. "Cool…" she said, not really knowing what to say. Raimundo looked at her with a slight blush.

"So…I think we should probably start booking plane flights for the holidays." Kimiko said. "I mean… I know we just had a situation, but it shouldn't stall our Christmas…"

Raimundo nodded, then he walked out of the room. Rachelle watched him go, then she bit her lip and chased after him. "Raimundo…!" She called after him. But once again, he disappeared. She blinked as Kimiko followed her. "Where's Raimundo?" Rachelle asked.

"Oh…. I bet he's up in the tree. But, hey, Rachelle-" Kimiko started, but Rachelle ran off before she could finish.

Rachelle ran up to him under the tree. "Hey, Rai…" she said. He looked down at her, then leapt to the ground.

"Yeah?" He asked, looking a little nervous.

"I… um…" Rachelle kicked her feet around a little. "Can I stay with your family for Christmas?"

Raimundo was taken back a little. He didn't know what to expect, but certainly not that. "What…? But what about Kimiko?"

"Oh, I'd rather spend time with a family I know about…" Rachelle said, smiling sheepishly.

"You sure?" Raimundo asked. No one ever turns down a Christmas party with the girl whose father owns half of Japan.

"Yeah…" Rachelle said. She didn't want to tell him the embarrassing part that she'd been fantasizing that his family were her own. She wished she had a family like his.

"Okay then. I'll give them a call." Raimundo said.

Rachelle stepped a little closer to him and hugged him. "Thanks, Rai." She said. Raimundo's heart raced.

"Oh… um… Rachelle?" Raimundo said, pulling from the hug slightly to look in her eyes.

"Yeah…?" Rachelle said, looking up at him. Her heart raced as she saw his beautiful emerald eyes.

"I…" He stopped. He couldn't speak. He leaned down and kissed her.

* * *

I know, the dreaded thing. OC/Rai. I'm sorry. But that's how it went in my dream. Well, except they started dating the day they met. I fixed that up in this because it'd make more sense to date after knowing eachother a bit. And if you bug me about it being a little too rushed in the love department, think of Romeo And Juliet, the ultimate love story. They got married less than a day after they met. Really. I mean it. Read the book. They met at night, and got married about noon the next day. But at least my story isn't that bad. Anyways, there's still more to it. My dream goes on for quite awhile more. But even after my dream ends, i'm going to continue it. After all, i'm starting to like this story. :D

* * *


	5. Christmas Givings

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Next chapter is here! It goes by pretty fast. Oh, and it's more fun to read if you listen to music by The Summer Obsession while reading. I wrote it while listening to "Melt The Sugar, Disappear, Never Coming Back, and Burning Bridges."

* * *

The plane was just reaching the sky. Rachelle sat next to Raimundo, holding his hand tightly. She couldn't believe she was going to go meet his family. They got the okay call back on the tenth. And they also managed to keep their relationship a secret from the other warriors long enough to make it to the airport. They all left at the same time in the same airport, all boarding different planes. Omi saw them all off, and then they were gone. 

Rachelle looked at Raimundo and smiled. "I can't wait to get there." She said.

"I can't wait to decorate for Christmas." Raimundo said. "We always buy too much decorations and end up having major power surges."

Rachelle giggled. "I'm glad I'll have my first Christmas."

"You never had one before?" Raimundo asked, a slight frown on his face.

"Nope." Rachelle said, letting a slight sigh out. "At the orphanage, we would have a tiny party, and all the younger kids would get presents from Santa. Everyone would be the ones cooking. We'd have a small party, then life would resume as normal."

"That…sucks." Raimundo said. "Well, this will be a great first Christmas for you then." He said. Rachelle giggled and cuddled his arm.

"Yeah…" Rachelle said, sighing a little. This was a happy sigh this time.

"But remember… we can't tell my family about us…" Raimundo said. "If they heard I had gotten in a relationship so fast…"

"They SHOULD understand that because you are seventeen now…" Rachelle pointed out. "But I'll keep my mouth shut about it."

"Thanks." Raimundo said. "My parents have a habit of over-reacting about everything. I want to keep this a secret until maybe the last day we're there."

"Alright." Rachelle replied. She was just happy that she was going to a Christmas party with a family…. A real family…

The 35-hour flight was exhausting (Yes, the flight is 35 hours from China. I looked it up on Expedia.) for both of them. It had to make a stop in Paris, France, until finally arriving in Rio de Janeiro. Rachelle wearily grabbed her small carry-on bag with all her possessions. And that wasn't much; it was a Gameboy with Goo Zombies 3 Kimiko gave her as a gift, and a purse Clay had given her made of black leather with a small pink skull sewn on by Omi (he was a good sewer… who knew?). That was everything she owned except the clothes on her back. The only things Raimundo brought were a bag of his video games he had brought with him to China. He planned to let his siblings play them back at home. He had all the clothes he needed at home, so he didn't care to take them home.

They exited the plane almost last. As they stepped off the platform, Raimundo's eyes lit up. His parents and eight siblings were all there to see him. "Raimundo!!" They shouted, and soon he was glomped by a mass amount of siblings all from the ages ten to twenty. Rachelle blushed as she saw him being hugged by such a loving family. She silently wished that maybe some day, a bunch of people would do that for her.

Raimundo crawled out from his family. "Hey, Rachelle!" He said. "This is Maria, Jeanette, Diego, Roberto…" he began naming off all his siblings. Rachelle only managed to catch the first four names, his two younger sisters and his brother who was a year older. Diego looked almost exactly like him, except a little taller and tanner.

"Hello, nice to meet you all!" Rachelle said, smiling. Raimundo's parents walked up to her.

"Hello, Rachelle." The mother said. "We are glad to meet you. I hope you enjoy your stay with us."

"Oh, I'm sure I will!" Rachelle said, smiling happily.

They reached his Aunt's house that day. Mr. And Mrs. Pedrosa were as kind as Rachelle has envisioned. She was so happy about it. When they reached his aunt's house (better word: mansion), they were shown to Raimundo's room.

"My parents say you can stay in here with me." He said, showing her too the room. It was small and had two beds and a TV. One bed was considerably smaller, probably used by his younger sister when he was younger. She now probably had her own room.

"This is so cool… thank you." Rachelle said, smiling at him. She walked up and hugged him. "You have no idea how much of a dream come true this is for me."

"I can't even imagine." Raimundo said. "But come on, time to decorate…"

The weeks passed almost problem-free. It was almost a dream for Rachelle to be here within a huge family, decorating a large house with Christmas decorations of every sort. She almost couldn't believe it was happening. And soon… Christmas eve was there.

"Alright, everyone gets one present on Christmas Eve. You know the rules." Mr. Pedrosa said, a huge grin on his face.

Rachelle smiled as she sat within the group of Raimundo's family. She stuck out like a sore thumb, having pale skin and black hair in comparison to their tan skin and light brown and blonde hair. But despite her vampire-like looks, she fit in with them. They each grabbed a box. Raimundo put a box in Rachelle's lap.

"They wouldn't forget you." Raimundo said with a smile. Rachelle's heart raced. They actually got her a gift, too.

She opened it up. Like everyone, it was new pajamas. It was a tank-top shirt and shorts, a bright baby blue color. Rachelle was almost in tears from happiness. It was her first ever Christmas present. "T-thank you all…" she said almost timidly.

"No problem, Rachelle." Mrs. Pedrosa said in her thick accent. "You're always welcome here for the holidays."

Rachelle smiled at them all. She couldn't believe this was happening to her…

The next day was no exception to her happiness. She received even more gifts, half of them marked from Santa. She received gifts such as more clothes, another version of Goo Zombies, a yo-yo, and different sorts of gloves. They were all cheap gifts, but that was all the family could afford. She was happy that she was finally included for the first time in her life.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get you all presents…" she said, blushing.

"That's all right." Mr. Pedrosa said. "We didn't expect you to."

"I'm… still…" Rachelle said.

Raimundo smiled at her. "Don't worry about it."

Rachelle smiled, holding back her urge to hug him.

That night, when Rachelle was getting ready for bed, Raimundo followed her into the room. "Hey, there's still a gift from me." He said, handing her a small box.

She took the box, then pulled a small box from her purse. "Here's something for you too…"

Raimundo blinked, and then opened the box. It had the Ornament of Order within it. "Oh… Rachelle, really… you don't have to give this to me…"

"No, I should. You deserve it…" she said with a sheepish grin. Then she started to open the gift he gave her. Inside was a bracelet that looked kind of like a dog collar.

"…your gift makes mine look like crap." He said, looking down.

"No. I'll treasure it." Rachelle said with a smile. She put in onto her wrist. It fit her goth complex perfect. "Thank you." She said, and leaned up to give him a kiss.

Before they realized it, January first had arrived. Rachelle was certain that was the best few weeks of her life. She was sad as she entered the airport with Raimundo to go back to China.

"Thank you all for being so nice to me…" Rachelle said, bowing slightly.

"Oh, come back any time." Mrs. Pedrosa said. "Besides, you're part of the family now. As long as you're friends with our Raimundo."

Rachelle smiled. "Thank you."

Raimundo took her hand, not caring what his parents thought as he stepped back onto the plane with her. They never did tell the parents of their relationship that time.

* * *

I know that seemed a little rushed. I was trying to get it over with so we can get back to the plot in the next chapter. Things can't always stay super happy fluffy for long, can they? And technically, this is where my dream ended. Except, of course, i thought of more and a bigger plot. The way my stories go, there's never an ending. But i think i might actually end this one in awhile. There'll be a good five more chapters or so until then. So until then, enjoy the story!

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